Schmoe38

Can we take a slight turn with this thread as it applies to the Platinum/Elite Lounge in the Embarkation port? Is there an ability to sign up for times in the Sanctuary while waiting in the Platinum/Elite lounge, in the port, prior to embarkation?

Dave’s Lobster on the Boardwalk in Halifax offers the mayo style as well as the hot butter style. It’s within walking distance from the ship. We’re going there in September as well and that will be our first stop. Just an option. Randy

John You need to hit your “refresh” button a few times during the day in order to capture any changes in the app. Randy

John If your wife prefers sweeter whites, here is one my wife enjoyed on Millennium in March. If this one is not available, ask for Selbach Riesling. Just a thought. Randy

John Nice to see The Boatyard had Zacapa 23. I couldn’t help noticing Total Wine (just down the street from the Renaissance) is showing (on line with availability in the store), a 750ml bottle of Zacapa 23 for $39.99 and a 1 litre bottle for $89.99. It’s been showing this pricing for a while, so if that is not an incorrect pricing issue, you might consider re-stocking your bar at home….unless it’s priced the same way at your local Total Wine. Have a Great Trip. Randy

John Thank you so much for offering your time to do a Live Review. We have not done a Panama Canal itinerary yet, but we have one booked for next year. Your perspective will help immensely when we sail in December 2024. Randy

We have enjoyed all of the menus Le Petit Chef has to offer. The newest animation and menu did not really excite us either, but we were travelling with our adult children and grandchildren and we wanted them to see what it was all about. Our evening was on Millennium in March of this year. We are so glad we did not cancel and search for an alternative. The menu, in print, does not look overly appealing, but looks can be deceiving. We chose the menu matching the animation and each dish was presented well, and it tasted fresh and delicious. As returning guests to Le Petit Chef, we were glad to be a part of the evening. The better part was looking at the smiles on the faces of our 4 grandchildren and listening to their gentle laughter throughout the show. Family moments like this are hard to come by, and this was one special evening that we will not soon forget. It’s difficult to put a label on Le Petit Chef because it is different things to different people. For us, it was certainly not a one and done. Randy

It’s such a nice sipping rum. At least we can get it here. Brugal 1888 (another nice sipping rum) is not even available at the LCBO. Randy

Wish we had those prices in Ontario. It was still worthwhile for me to buy the 1 litre bottle for about the same price (in Canadian Dollars) as what we pay in Ontario for the 750ml bottle. Randy

Shirley I was only able to buy it in St Maarten and bring it home as part of our duty free allowance. I paid USD $65 for a 1 litre bottle. It runs CAD $89.99 for a 750 ml bottle at the LCBO. Randy

John Here is the new menu being served at Le Petit Chef. It doesn’t look like any changes or alternative menus are on the horizon as this menu and animation show are fairly new. As an FYI, this menu is currently showing on the Celebrity app for our November 2023 cruise. Randy LE MENU EXTRAORDINAIRE TARTLET OF SLOW-ROASTED HEIRLOOM TOMATOES FETA, TAPENADE, ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS, ARUGULA EMULSION POACHED SHRIMP* AND PERSIAN CUCUMBER SALAD LEMON-GINGER LECHE DE TIGRE, MANGO-ESPELETTE PEPPERS FLUID GEL, RICE CRACKERS BRAISED SHORT RIB OF BEEF HORSERADISH MASH, YOUNG PEAS, WILD MUSHROOM & SMOKED BONE MARROW JUS STRAWBERRY CHANTILLY NAPOLEON PUFF PASTRY, WHIPPED CREAM, STRAWBERRIES THE OTHER MENU CURED SALMON HERBS, GAZPACHO, PICKLED SHALLOTS, SALMON ROE* ROASTED BEETS SALAD BURRATA, PISTACHIO, EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, AGED BALSAMIC, BABY ARUGULA PAN SEARED MEDITERRANEAN BRANZINO GREEN ASPARAGUS, MASHED POTATO, CAVIAR BEURRE BLANC*, CHIVES CHOCOLATE CARAMEL DECADENCE DARK CHOCOLATE, DARK CHOCOLATE WHIPPED GANACHE, CARAMEL

Is Edwin your waiter in Luminae, by any chance? Randy

Just keep asking on board. What a great excuse for you to do a personal bar crawl! Randy

John When we were on Silhouette in March 2022, Zacapa was nowhere to be found. The bar servers at the Retreat Sundeck bar introduced me to Brugal 1888 as a sipping rum. What a pleasant surprise. When the Shoreside Concierge called us before our March 11th sailing for stateroom preferences, I indicated Zacapa 23 or Brugal 1888 in our choice of alcohol for the room. Brugal 1888 was in the room when we arrived. I’m not sure if the bottle came from ship inventory or if it was an onshore purchase prior to our arrival. Hopefully, it came from ship inventory and you may not need to call exclusively on Bacardi. Randy

John I will keep my fingers crossed for you, but there was no Zacapa on the ship when we sailed March 11th. In fact, the only time I saw it was when I bought a bottle in St Maarten and brought it home with us. Randy

Don’t give up on the OBC for a potential Apple watch. Check out the inventory of all Apple products early in your cruise just to see if anything interests you. If so, make your decision early, as your fellow cruisers will also be looking for ways to use OBC, and the longer you wait, the faster inventory will be depleted. Happy Shopping Randy

John There was no entertainment in Cellar Masters specifically. It’s really just a smaller bar with quite a bit of table seating with comfy chairs. There is a separate section that is used for tastings, but can also be used for overflow seating. It’s position on the ship is right across from Sushi on 5. The only music you will hear there is the piped in version or music from other venues on the ship. A Super Tuscan is a red wine that is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. It went very well with the Branzino and Pork Belly. Many sommeliers on the ship like it when we leave the decision making to them The good ones will not disappoint you. Our daughter in law ordered the filet in Tuscan and was very impressed. I have ordered the rib eye in the past but have found it has been hit and miss. We were on the starboard side of the ship as well. I remember it this way, “port” and “left” both have 4 letters. Thus starboard must be right! If you can remember, and you have either Nicasio or Bernadeth, please say hello to them for us. Randy and Connie

Captain Pierre was the Captain and Ernest was the Cruise Director. Randy

John We just got off Millennium this past Saturday. I promised you I would recap our experiences and I will try to focus on the areas of interest to you. A detailed report…it may not be. I believe you said you are booked in the Retreat for your sailing in April. The Retreat Concierges should be Eve and Briton. Both are very accommodating. The Retreat Lounge was quiet most days when we were there. It’s a great place to hang. We did get a chance to meet Marren when we were on board, but I have to tell you… the staff behind the bar were busier than all get out. This was the first time in a long time where we have seen Cellar Masters as active as it was. That’s a good thing. We were there just the one night, but passed by it every night. Our best hang time was definitely at the Martini Bar. We went at initial opening (3pm) and we almost had the place to ourselves. The other reasonable times were around 8:45pm when other cruisers were either heading for late dinner or heading to the later show in the Theatre. If you go, look for Guna. He remembered us from May 2022 when we last sailed on Millennium. The Rendezvous Lounge was also a nice place to relax with or without a drink before dinner. Nice music and comfortable chairs…hard to beat. Luminae service and food were exceptional. Now, in fairness, we did order some items from the MDR menu, but all in all, it was a pleasant improvement vs our last sailing in Luminae on Summit in October. On that sailing, I needed a microscope to see the scallops and lobster on Evening Chic Night. This time, on Millennium, the scallops and lobster were still not “full grown” but they were certainly more respectful. We ate in Luminae 5 of our 7 nights and the service team was like a well-oiled machine. One of my weak spots is pumpernickel bread. They had rolls this time…what a treat! If they are not presented to you and you enjoy pumpernickel as much as I do, ask and you will receive. Our Maître’d was Alex. If you get Edwin as your waiter in Luminae, you will be in great hands. I understand you enjoy Sushi on 5. It was quiet at lunch during our week, but that was mainly due to the 5 port stops. The restaurant was open from 12:00pm-2:30pm each day. We went there 3 times and I had the Shrimp and Scallop Dynamite each time we visited. The shrimp and scallops had also grown in this dish vs our last cruise on Summit. If you like the fresh wasabi, unfortunately it is no longer available. As well, if you have previously ordered the Spicy Mango Martini, it is no longer available. We did not go there for dinner. We all went to Tuscan Grille on Day 3 of our cruise. I usually order half portions of short rib pasta and lobster rigatoni. I decided to order the snapper so that I could break out of my rut. The waiter actually suggested I not order that entree as he indicated other client feedback was not good. He then suggested the pork belly and branzino. What a great recommendation. The wines in Tuscan were very nice. I asked for a Super Tuscan and our sommelier did the rest. Overall, a very nice evening. La Petit Chef has a new animation as well as a new menu. We have eaten ourselves through all of the other menus and were not really looking forward to this one, other than the fact that our children and grandchildren had never been there. Thank goodness we went. The food on the main menu that goes with the animation was fresh and delicious. For those with kids, the restaurant really looked after our 4 grandchildren. Pizza, caesar salad, pasta, dessert and a bottomless glass of Shirley Temples. Everyone was happy. We never went to the Oceanview buffet at dinner, but we did go there for some breakfasts and lunches. The selection on both was well varied and we were never stretched to find plenty to fill our plates. Cafe Al Bacio…the King of Hangouts. What more can be said that has not been said before. Depending on your suite location, hopefully you will get Radu or Nicasio as your butler and if you are really lucky, you will get Bernadeth as your stateroom attendant. We had Radu last year, and the combination of Nicasio and Bernadeth this year. We are proud to call them all friends. Millennium will be forever in our hearts for creating memories that will stay with us forever. May all of you who are about to sail on her, have the same good fortune as we did. We wish we were still on board. Hope this helps Randy

We just got off Millennium this past Saturday. Apple Watches were 8th Generation but limited to 41mm Black only. We were pleasantly surprised. Randy

We just got off Millennium on Saturday and received lip balm. It’s nice to have the lip balm in our suite, but we always pack our own. Randy

John On our March 11/23 sailing, Sushi on 5 is showing 12:00pm - 2:30pm on each day for lunch hours. Randy

Not sure what type of stateroom you are considering, but here’s another vote for Celebrity. It sounds like your son is not necessarily seeking out “high energy” on board. Celebrity could certainly make sense for both of you. Millennium offers a 7 Night Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan that would involve 5 port stops as opposed to the normal 3 port stops out of Florida. I see you will be on Millennium for one of your upcoming cruises. If you have not sailed on her, it would give you an opportunity to scout out the ship. If you are considering a suite for your cruise, Royal Suites on this itinerary are currently being offered at a price that is below that of a Celebrity Suite. Royal Suites are larger, and this price advantage is certainly unusual. Remember, all perks are included in the Retreat pricing. Luminae would be your main dining venue, and will give you an alternative experience if you have not dined here before. You would also need to factor in your airfare to and from San Juan, in order to determine if this itinerary is a reasonable alternative. Your vacation would probably need to start March 31/23, as the itinerary begins April 1/23. Not sure if that is a potential deal breaker. Just a thought. Randy

Retreat Anthony told us he was wearing the sleeves because of the exposure to the sun. I remember the 2 Retreat Concierges (Javier and Edrilyn) used 2 of the stools at the bar in the Retreat to do their paperwork, as they had no work area in the Lounge. We felt for them as well. Randy

The difficulty with the bar on the Retreat Sundeck is, the stools are almost entirely in the sun for most of the day. We were on Silhouette in March 2022, and the sun was such an issue that the bar servers needed to wear “sleeves” in order to help reduce the potential burning to their arms. Anthony was one of the bar servers when we were there, and he introduced me to Brugal 1888 rum, something that was unavailable elsewhere on the ship. Somehow, the sun exposure was less of an issue. Randy